An Iron Heart
by ArtilleryTactics
Summary: (A Log Horizon Story) Over 300,000 players worldwide are trapped in the MMORPG, Elder Tale. Everyone who was logged in during the release of the new Novasphere Pioneers expansion pack is now living the game for real. Before the so-called "Apocalypse", Zellie and her friends were in their guild hall, planning their next journey. But where's her guild members now?
1. Nice to Meet You!

Author's Note:

Hello,

So this is my very first writing submission to this website. Thought it'd be fun and good practice to write a little fictional piece of my own. Recently, I've been really into the anime _Log Horizon_, and so, obviously, this story takes place in just that. At the time of this submission, I am at episode 16, so I apologize if for some reason, there are any cringe-worthy inaccuracies with the plot. But seeing as this doesn't even take place in the same country as in the anime, I imagine I can get away with a crime or two. Anyway, thanks for checking this article out. Hope you enjoy it.

ArtilleryTactics

* * *

Some background:

This story takes place in _Elder Tale_, an MMORPG within the Log Horizon universe. However, unlike in the original series, this story revolves around players in northeastern United States rather than Japan. Much like their Japanese counterparts, the U.S. players are trapped in the _Elder Tale_ reality, having become their _Elder Tale_ avatars and adventurers themselves. Most of the industrialized land has reverted back to rural forestry, and major American cities have transformed into vast wastelands of empty streets and skyscrapers.

Despite the initial trauma, East coast Americans have had relative success in discovering the limits and possibilities of their new reality. In addition to learning how to cook food with actual taste, players have discovered that Craftsmen and worker-type classes can develop technology previously unavailable in the original game. The invention (or "reinvention") of engines, firearms, and electrical generators have not only stimulated and rekindled societal productivity—it has led to the creation of new classes and subclasses, and as an unforeseen consequence, new monsters. The world was evolving faster than anyone could have expected.

Almost every player has found a new meaning to life—a new goal to work toward. Certain guilds have undertaken the task of finding an escape from the game while others have begun the quest for more power and reaching the higher level cap. The more ethically noble guilds have taken the responsibility of traveling west to the other cities to help other adventurers, establish wider communication nets, and possibly re-open the Fairy Portals that have gone haywire.

Still, some other players focus on more personal matters—training and leveling, meeting new people, forming new guilds, finding a new home, settling personal vendettas, or even searching for lost friends. This story revolves around one of these adventurers and her quest to find her missing friends as well as learn the secrets behind _Elder Tale_ and the Apocalypse.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

After three days of fruitless searching in the New York tri-state area, 17-year-old Hazel Stratton is slowly losing hope of finding her fellow guild members—her closest friends—who have seemingly disappeared ever since the Apocalypse took place.

_I don't understand…I've asked almost everyone, and there are NO other accounts of missing players._ Hazel dragged her feet as she walked down the road bordered with various vendors and stalls and the people crowding around to get the best deals. _If they were logged in right before the Apocalypse, then they SHOULD be here! _Her bangs were now curtains of hair, shading her eyes from daylight as she hung her head, gazing at the moss infested ground, continuing her sloth-like walk. _I'm not crazy right? I did have friends? I'm not some socially-deprived lunatic who's resorted to befriending imaginary people? _

The clunks and clanks of her iron armor were louder than usual today. Her depressed, heavy steps and defeated posture made the giant steel kite shield on her back ricochet into her iron body cast with every forward movement.

"BAH!" she screamed in frustration as she madly ruffled her short, auburn brown hair, disheveling it more so than it already was. Her spontaneous outburst scared the adventurers and NPC's nearby, causing them to jolt and gaze in her direction. Embarrassed and surprised by the unwanted attention she provoked, she walked faster down the street in hopes of setting some distance between herself and the countless, judging stares.

After her brief power walking session, she found herself lost in thought again, hands behind her head, and looking straight up at the blue sky.

_No matter how many times I look, that sky is the real deal._

The valley scenery, the breeze on her face, the feel of a sword in her hand, and the taste of steaming hot food all reminded her that she was no longer just sitting at her computer playing _Elder Tale_. She was actually in it.

She closed her eyes—still looking up, her hands now serving as a headrest. Even though she was walking, she felt that she could take a nap right then and there. Until her peaceful daydreaming was interrupted by an audible thud and a meaty wall that hit her square in the face and breastplate. In just a matter of seconds, she went from looking at the sky to seeing the world at ground level.

"Ouch…" she muttered as she sat on the ground, wincing from the throbbing feeling in her nose and butt. "Watch where you're going dammit!"

She opened her eyes to find a young man, probably around her age, slumped on the ground in a similar pose. He began feeling his hand through his dark brown hair, just as confused as she was as to what just happened. As soon as she had finished her loud complaint, she regretted speaking too soon when she noticed all of his groceries on the dirt and pavement below them.

"The hell!? Watch where _I'm _going!? A damn herd of elephants could have been standing in the middle of the street and you would have walked right into them!" He too noticed the damage done and began to scratch his head in disappointment. "Maaan…I just bought those too…", he sighed. "Well, no use crying over spilled milk…or in this case, vegetables."

"I…uh…..I'm…" Zellie struggled to apologize as the quick transition from the boy's anger to passiveness took her by surprise.

He got up, dusted himself off, and strangely enough, stretched out his hand to help the young girl on her feet. "You can call me Novak. And you are?" His game stats suddenly appeared in Zellie's view of him.

Novak

Race/ Human

Monk, Lv. 90

Novak sported a short, dark green, collared vest over a dark, upper body chain mail. His fingerless gloves were also dark green and matched his vest. His khaki pants were baggy, yet tucked in to a pair of black work boots, and they were held up with a wide utility belt lined with big pockets and loops—all of which were occupied with various tools and equipment. His spikey hair looked like it tried to be slicked back but was instead rising to have a windswept appearance instead. He was actually kinda handsome, but certainly an eccentric as well.

She took his hand, slightly blushing, and responded, "Zellie. My name is Zellie". Hardly anyone introduces themselves with their full name on MMORPG's. Identity theft could happen to anyone, and besides, games are more fun when you give yourself a new identity. In her case, Zellie was her nickname in the real world anyway, so she decided to name her avatar the same. By introducing herself, surely her general stats appeared before him as well.

Zellie

Race/ Human

Guardian, Lv. 90

Although her class was Guardian, she never was the type to overdress in head-to-toe armor. She was fine with the Advanced Knight's Body Armor which was a simple iron set, breastplate and pauldrons, to cover her ribcage and shoulders. Besides, she already had her Obelisk Chainmail (Fem. Ver.) that compensated for most of the defense lost from not wearing a full heavy armor set like a conventional Guardian. The chainmail cut off a little above the midpoint of her thighs, and at her waist, she wore the simple complimentary Advanced Knight' s Fauld that matched perfectly with the length of the chainmail, thus creating a sort of armored skirt. From the knee down she wore Castle Knight Greaves to match the color of her Advanced Knight armor set.

And then there was, of course, her Titan Shield, a giant, black flat-top kite shield forged from a rare volcano dungeon ore and the steel scales of the Rembrandt Titan, the final boss of a high-level quest located on what would normally be called Staten Island in the real world. The five-foot shield nearly matched her height of 5' 5" and was almost wide enough to conceal her entire upper body if she were to stand directly behind it. It was definitely her favorite item in her inventory—if not for its mesmerizing jet black finish and dark purple insignia, then the priceless sentimental value it carried. She had obtained this shield thanks to the teamwork and effort of her guild, Iron Hearts. Through hard work and faith in each other's abilities, they somehow managed to navigate the Vulcan Labyrinth and defeat the titan without a single player respawning at the the cathedral. When they returned home, Cecillia, the guild's blacksmith and one of her closest friends in the real world, helped forge her share of the quest rewards into the magnificent shield she held in her hand today. The Titan Shield not only served as a milestone of her guild's achievements—it fired up her determination to confirm the whereabouts and safety of her in-game family.

As expected, picking up her fallen shield as she got up became second-nature.

"I'm sorry about bumping into you like that," she apologized, feeling bad about yelling at him when it was most likely her fault for spacing out, "I've just been stressing out about how-

"No worries, no worries! Say no more!" Novak remarked with a kind smile on his face. Somewhat rude…but he didn't seem to have meant any harm. "A lot of us are facing some stressful problems right now…" His face suddenly flushed with dejection.

"_This guy changes mood fast…"_ she thought.

"Looks like I'm adding dinner to that list too." His attention is directed toward the food on the ground, and he begins inspecting the damage.

"Aw geez…I'm really sorry!" She clapped her hands together and bowed her head. "Please, let me repay you for the damage. How much do I owe you?" She began reaching for the wallet in her item bag.

"Hmm…you're a Lv. 90 Guardian huh?" He rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger, thinking like an old hermit stroking his beard. Then he snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "How about this!" he pointed at Zellie, "Come with me to the hunting grounds! It's still early enough in the day. Instead of wasting any more money on store bought goods, whaddaya say we go hunt down and scavenge for some _fresh_ ingredients!"

"Huh?" Zellie questioned. She couldn't fathom why anyone would want to go through such tedious work for cooking ingredients…nonetheless ask a complete stranger to join them. "I don't know…couldn't I just pay you? If it's interest you want, then I can gladly pay more. Just name your price, and I can—"

"I thought you said you would repay me for the damage," he began in a disappointed tone, "well, not only is my food gone—my will to live is dissipating AS. WE. SPEAK." He fell on his knees, eyes closed, the back of his right hand on his forehead with this left arm hooked upward toward the sky, grasping at an empty skull. "I was in theatre back in the real world y'know." He opened one eye to look up at a confused Zellie and smiled. He quickly stood up and continued, "C'mon, it'll be fun. And tell ya' what: if you help me, dinner is on me!"

Zellie stood there, still unsure of what to think of the guy. But he couldn't be a bad person. Strange as he was, he emitted an aura of friendliness—from the way he talked to his body language and facial expressions. Seeing him stand there, grinning with his hands now on his hips, she couldn't help but return his smile with one of her own.

Why the hell not, right? Her endless investigation and searching has been running her ragged. Her accrued frustration is what led her here in the first place. She could use a change in pace.

Novak once again reached his hand out to the girl. "So, you coming?"

She looked him in the eyes, one eyebrow arched, and then smirked. "You're a weirdo, you know that?"

"Hey! How'd you know my family nickname?" he responded with a wide grin.

She clasped her hand against his with a firm grip. "Haha, I'm in. Lead the way, Mr. Novak!"

"Nice!" he exclaimed as they shook on it, "C'mon, I'll introduce you to a couple people who'll help us out."

And so, the two were once again back to walking.

But this time, side by side.


	2. Waiting Around

"Whaaaaat?" Novak questioned, completely bewildered at the story he was just hearing. "So you don't have ANY weapons to equip?" He began scratching his head again, a habit that Zellie noticed he does whenever he's thinking or confused. "A Lv. 90 adventurer with NO weapons at all? That seems unlikely already, but with NONE IN THE BANK EITHER!? Now I've heard them all…" He stuffs his mouth with a giant bite of his steamed bun. "Mmph, theesh rond dinggies arh goomd."

"You don't listen at all!" Zellie pouted as he kept eating. They've been sitting around at the Metroplex Entrance Gate for at least 15 minutes now, waiting for Novak's "couple people" he said would assist in the hunting. She treated him to a steamed bun from a nearby food stand as they waited. "I told you that my only sword was stolen by some Thief-class bastard!"

"Thashz deh thimg doh!" He quickly responded, spitting out a chunk of food while doing so. The chunk landed near her leg on the crate she was sitting on.

"Stop talking with your mouth full dammit!"

He swallowed the huge food mass and repeated himself, "I said: That's the thing though! How do you only have one sword? Almost every adventurer keeps spares in either their inventory or their bank account. Hell, most people even keep the low-level equipment for crafting purposes. How can you only have one sword?"

"It's…", she began, and then slouched her back against the city wall, eyes closed and arms crossed, "It's a long story." Novak witnessed a small smile on the girls face as she gave up explaining herself.

Novak reciprocated her smile with a wide grin, "I bet you're full of long stories, huh?"

There was a pause.

"Hey…", Novak began in a softer, more serious tone, "can I ask you something?"

"What's up? Did you finally figure yourself out?" She joked. She was expecting at least a pity chuckle, but when she looked back at him, she saw an anguished face looking blankly at the ground below her feet.

"Do I…look familiar at all?"

A long silence took over as the question sunk in.

"Hm? What do you mean?" She asked, tilting her head to express her slight confusion of the question. " Like…a celebrity or something?"

There was another lengthy pause before Novak suddenly grinned, wiping away any trace of sorrow that was on his face before. "A lot of people say I look like one of the adventurers of Debauchery Tea Party. So I thought I'd get a second opinion."

Zellie was surprised by such a bold statement. "As if I'd know! Those guys are famous! And you'd have to be in the Japanese server just for a chance to meet them!" She really did wonder what they looked like though. Or if they even existed. Word of the band of adventurers only traveled to The States through online game forums. Internet searches only popped up more forums but nothing with convincing proof. Still, from the various accounts of their achievements, they sounded amazing. "If someone _did_ say you resemble one of the members, then you'd be the closest I have ever gotten to meeting them in person."

"Haha…yeah…" Novak replied.

Another long period of silence.

"Hey," Zellie began, "so I have a question for you now."

"Hm?"

She got up from the crate she was sitting on, now directing an irritated glance at Novak who was still sitting on the ground against the wall. "When the hell are your friends gonna get here!?"

But as quickly as she spoke, a strong gust of wind arrived, blowing her hair and rattling her armor. The direction of the wind suddenly changed as if coming from directly above her head, now blowing her hair into her face while continuing to rattle her armor. And then, in less than a second, the wind changed source once again, this time as if it were coming from the ground below her, but even stronger. Her hair ruffled with the wind, and her armor continued rattling.

The wind blew harder and harder, causing her hair to lift even more. However, now the jetstream of air was strong enough to steadily lift up her chainmail and fauld, slowly revealing more of her thighs as she stood there confused.

She then realized what was happening as she grabbed her shield and quickly bolted in the direction of the nearby foresty.

Novak, still sitting against the wall, watched as the iron-clad girl, hair now a complete mess, ran into the trees, causing birds and small animals alike to scatter in all directions.

Still sitting, still watching, Novak gazed with an uninterested face in the direction of the mayhem. There were echoes of trees cracking and branches swaying, and then surprisingly, the girly screams of a young man.

Nature's silence finally returned, as did Zellie who was now dragging a beaten, black-haired body by the collar.

"Is _this_ one of your stupid friends?" She asked angrily and flustered as she tossed the delinquent into his view.

Novak sighed and picked up a twig that was hanging off the beaten young man's coat. He began poking at his face as if it were a dead animal.

"Unfortunately yes." He then directed his words toward the semi-conscious adventurer pathetically sprawled out before him. "I see you still haven't overcome that perverted addiction of yours huh?"

Still poking his face, Novak looked up and introduced the person lying on the ground.

"Zellie, this is Vex. He may not look it, but he's a Lv. 82 Sorcerer." He paused for a moment as the young man on the ground began opening his eyes. "He's also a pervert."

"Is…is he _smiling_?" Zellie asked with a disgusted look. Vex now had a warm smile on his bruised face, still on the ground like a tossed rag.

"I guess I should say he's a pervert and proud."


End file.
